Dear HPS Community,

Welcome back everyone! I hope that everyone had an enjoyable school holiday break and are rested and recharged ready for term 4 and all that it brings.

My family enjoyed a holiday break in Sydney where we visited Taronga Zoo, had a beach day in Manly, walked across (not brave enough to climb!!) the Sydney Harbour Bridge, explored the Opera House and enjoyed meeting lots of celebrities, world leaders and the Royal family at Madame Tussaudes.

I hope you got to enjoy some activities and fun with your family and friends. Being able to spend time with loved ones and share in the joy of being together goes a long way to feeling fulfilled, valued and grateful.

We welcome Hannah Bafas who will teach Year 3, Room 21 for the remainder of the year due to Candice Sheldon-Collins taking family leave. We are eagerly awaiting news of the safe arrival of Candice and Carlos' first child in the coming months. We wish them well as they begin their parenting journey.

Matsuri Day

Did you know that "Matsuri" (祭) is the Japanese word for festival or celebration?

Sensai De Cunto and Sensai Kuhlmann have been busy preparing and organising a fabulous range of activities and experiences that are sure to engage and delight students from Foundation to Year 6.

Matsuri Day is eagerly anticipated each year at HPS and is a wonderful cross age event involving the whole school.

Families are invited to join the morning assembly at 9.15am to begin our day, which will include a Japanese drum performance. Families are also invited to join the afternoon assembly from 2.30pm, which will be an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the successes of the day.

Students are invited to dress up in costumes related to Japan /Japanese cartoons or attire that reflects their family's cultural background or heritage.

We look forward to an energetic and vibrant day of Japanese language and culture!

Icy pole Sales

Icy pole Thursdays are coming back this term! Icy poles will be for sale every Thursday from week 2 to week 8. As this event will run each week, don't panic if your child forgets their money one Thursday, they can always bring it the following week. Thank you to all the team coordinating this as a fundraiser to support Year 6 Graduation.

Building Updates

We are getting very close to getting access to the portables and SAC buildings again, and it is looking fantastic! Installation of handrails, deep interior cleaning and initial basic landscaping are all currently being finalised.

The temporary toilets near the COLA are now in use for students with the bottom school toilet block/ sports shed set to demolished next week.

There will also be changes to the temporary fences, expanding the construction site to include the area where the new gymnasium will be built.

An access pathway between the new learning centre site and the gymnasium site has been created, which will allow connection to the oval for staff and student use.

Staff Car Parking: please note that the car park spaces located on-site in front of the swimming pool is to be used by staff only. I understand that parking can be very difficult around the school, particularly at the moment, but staff do require those car parking spaces so they are not needing to move cars throughout the day, which could cause disruption to teaching and learning. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation regarding this matter.

2026 Planning

We are at that time of the year where we begin planning and preparing for 2026.

Part of this planning is determining the number and structure of classes across the school, based on our overall enrolment numbers.

If you are moving house to another suburb, state or country resulting in changes to your child's enrolment at Heidelberg PS please inform the office as soon as possible. Thank you to the families who have already provided this information.

Once that piece of the puzzle is determined, the organisation of class placements will occur.

Soon there will be information sent out to communicate the process and timeline for students to identify friends they wish to be placed in a class with next year. Stay tuned for further info in coming weeks.

School Council Meeting Dates: Start time 6pm, Conclude by 8pm

Term 4

Tuesday 28 October

Tuesday 2 December

Upcoming Dates
Thursday 16th October	Year 6 Photo Day - Graduation and Sports team
Thursday 23rd October	Whole School Matsuri Day
Friday 31st October	World Teacher's Day
Monday 3rd November	Pupil Free Day - Staff Professional Practice Day
Tuesday 4th November	Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Wishing you a lovely weekend and a great week ahead!

Naomi Ivers

Principal

Heidelberg Primary School

Heidelberg PS - Capers

Respect | Responsibility | Resilience | Compassion

Term 4 - Issue 1 · 10 Oct 2025

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